Sustainable ElectronicsChallenges and Opportunities

E. Sahle-Demessie, Ph.D.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Office of Research and Development

1

US EPA - Disclaimer

2

The findings and conclusions in this presentation have not been formally disseminated by the U.S. EPA and should not be construed to represent any agency determination or policy.

Electronic Waste Still a Challenge in U.S.

3

• Information and communication technologies are growing, while the average use life of products is decreasing → Generating E-waste

• Americans discard 130,000 item/day→ 4 x108 lb/yr of electronic items. → Fastest growing waste stream

• Old and used-electronics are cluttering homes-

• End-of-life differs a lot - recycling, export, disposed of in landfills or incinerated.

Sa

les o

f P

rod

uct (u

nit)

Sa

les o

f P

rod

uct (w

eig

ht)

Domestic management

Treatment depends on

state regulations Export to developing countries

E-waste

Producer responsibility law

Consumer law

Manufacture education law

Landfilling

Recycling

Open burning

Land disposalAcid extraction

Incineration

Source:www.flickr.com/photos/cogdog/9090732482www.documentscotland.com/portfolio/e-wasteland/www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-108, http://www.epa.ohio.gov/dmwm/Home/Incinerators.aspx, www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-108

45x107 ton/yr world

≈29 %

??

Affected Source,

state

E-waste as Resources

Primary mining• ~ 5 g/t Au in ore

• ~ similar to other PGMs

“Urban” mining• 300-350 g/t AU in cell phones

• 200-250 g/t AU in PC circuit

boards

5

E-waste contains:

▪ Precious metals (Ag, Au, Pd)

▪ Critical materials (e.g., rear earth elements)

▪ Base and special metals (Cu, Al, Zn, In)

▪ Recycling reduces green house gas compared to

processing ores

Sources: UNEP, 2011; USDOR, 2011; Hageluken & Corti, 2010

E-Waste is Hazardous❖ Improperly disposed E-waste

is a threat to environment

and public health

❖ E-Waste contains

• Lead (Pb),Cadmium (Cd),

• Mercury (Hg),

• Brominated flame

retardants

Health hazards:

• Chronic exposure to

hazardous air

pollutants

• Toxic leachates to

environment

Environmental hazards:

acute & chronic aquatic toxicity,

bioaccumulation potential

6

Sources: Lim & Schoenung, 2010; USEPA, 2009

E-Waste Exported and Disposed Around the World

7

➢ Improper export, disposal and poor recycling techniques of e-waste

damage local ecology and impact human health in developing countries.

Environmental Justice

8

- Fire accident of warehouses storing e-waste release highly toxic HAP.

- Blew a wide plume of pollutants over nearby residential areas and a shopping center.

- Fire created very toxic and carcinogenic smoke and fumes containing brominated dioxins, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

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Sustainable ElectronicsVision Statement

“ Sustainable ICT will enable us to protect and enhance human health and well-being and the environment over generations while minimizing the adverse life-cycle impacts of devices, infrastructure and services.”

Sustainable Electronic Forum Summary,

Racine, WI, October 15-18, 2012

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Sustainable Electronics Themes

Sustainable

Products

Sustainable Electronics

Zero-waste Zero-Impact

Energy, water,

Biodiversity

Resource

Optimization

Eco-Design

Sustainable

Processes across

Life-Cycle

11

Enriching Communities

1

1

23

4

6

5SustainableBusiness Model

Safe and Fair working

condition

The Three Spheres of Sustainability

Environmental

EconomicSocial

I. Materials and Process

cause no harm

III. Protect natural

resource

II. Close-loop,

resource

optimization, eco-

design

VI. Business

model

Embraces

sustainabilityV. Enriching

communities

IV. Safe and Fair

working condition

Theme 1: Materials and Processes Cause No

harm

Objective

➢ Complete inventory and hazards of chemicals in production and electronic products,

➢ Elimination of hazardous toxics from electronic products and processes

➢ Design tools fully populated with materials and product hazard problems

➢ Virgin and recycled materials sources from certified facilities

➢ Alternative assessment should be made prior to selection of materials and chemical

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Goal

Limit the harm posed by all ICTs materials and process

Theme 1 - Research Questions: Electronic Products

I. Chemicals in Electronic Products➢Develop practical and multipurpose tools / methods to assess chemical found in electronic products, ➢Develop a method for hazardous materials that need to be replaced. “White” and “black” list, ranked by

risk, ➢ Transparency, sharing information

II. Fate and transport of hazardous chemicals in products / processes ➢ Obtain better information on fate and transformation of chemicals through life cycle:➢ Identify nanoscale materials, in electronic waste stream and their fate & transport

III. Search for replacement of hazardous chemicals with safer one➢ Elimination of toxics in products and processes over the life cycle, eg. BFR, PVC, phthalet DEHP, DBP,

BBP➢ Replacement of hazardous and toxic chemicals with safer, biologically benign alternatives

IV Integration of chemical information in electronics with OEDs/OEMs/ recyclers across the supply chain LC➢ Integrate hazardous chemical information in the electronics process and product design.➢ Create an EPA Green Star Program to direct purchasers to product standards that include these ideas in

EPEAT➢ Create a register of preferred chemicals for various processes and make the accessible to stakeholders

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What are the Barriers • Technical:

• Limited chemicals listed IEC 62474 - Material Declaration for Products of and for the Electrotechnical Industry - eco-friendly and climate neutral

• Lack of collaboration to collect chemical and process information• Challenge in handling proprietary information• Lack of transparency in the supply chain and fear of liability

• Infrastructure: Lack of method to bring information on hazards and alternatives to designers

• Economical: Lack of funding for developing effective alternative assessments

• Standards : Lack of agreement on preferred materials

Standards needed• Consensus on harmful / benign chemicals

• Integrate a criterion for a full chemical inventory into Stanards used by EPEAT®

• Integrate a criterion for making information publicly available and verifiable

The Challenge: The good, the bad and the uglyrecovering valuables while taking care of hazards

• E-scrap, a complex mix…– Ag, Au, Pd…(precious metals)– Cu, Al, Ni, Sn, Zn, Fe, Bi, Sb, In (base-and special

metals)– Hg, Be, Pb, Cd, As,…(substances of concern)– Halogens (Br, F, Cl…)– Plastics and Other organics– Glass, Ceramics

• Environmental Risk in case of landfill and inappropriate recycling

• Valuable metal resource

16

Complex Life Cycle for Consumer Products- open loop causing high resource losses

17

Components

Precursor

Dismantling and pre-processing

User 1Final user

Loss

es/

syst

em o

utf

low

fo

r p

rod

uct

Return point collection

Exchange of components

Losses/system outflows (component/metals)

No removal of metal component

Assembly Product

IC, MLCC etc

Printed wiring board, Battery, display

Mobile phoneLaptop computers

Production scrap, rejects, overstocks

Metal recovery

Multiple change of ownership, low transparency, High product mobility, global material flowHigh exports of EoL products in regions without appropriate recycling infrastructureLow consumer awareness on resource value and missing recycle incentives “Hibernating” good and inefficient

Theme 2: Closing-the-Loop: Eco-Design and Resource Optimization

GoalBetter management of closed-loop

• Better design

• Extended producer responsibility

• Industrial ecology

• Zero waste → Infinite recyclability of all products.

ObjectivesI. Product design for recycling and life extension

• Tracking & tracing of material flows / transparency creation

II. Research on recovery of rare earth elements

• Recycling of Rare Earth elements such as Gallium, Germanium, Tantalum

III. Increase the recycled content of plastics

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Theme 2: Closing-the-Loop: Eco-Design and Resource Optimization

• Proactive eco-design that take into account• Design for disassembly (reuse and refurbishment), Life extension and

recycling

• Design for recovery, avoid incompatible material mix if doesn’t interfere with essential functionality

• Design for tracking and detection

• Design with less materials use

• Transparent material Flow• Commonly accepted standards for scope, quality

• Optimize systems for priority devices• Economic drivers

• Technical – interface and process technology

• Rules / incentive

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Challenges in Metal recycling from complex products

1. Accessibility of relevant components/materials➢ Electronics in cars, REE magnets in electric motors,…

→ “Design for Disassembly”, mechanical processing, pre-shredding-technology

2. Thermodynamic limits for multicomponent mixtures of “trace elements’ – cost effective recovery challenging➢ Rare earth, Gallium/Germanium, Lithium, Tantalum, …

→ “Design for Recycling,” fundamental metallurgical research, pilot plants

3. Severe deficits in closing the loop for consumer goods➢ Electronics, cars, batteries, lamps, …

→ Better collection, tracing and tracking of material flows, transparency, economic incentives

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Complex products require a systemic solution & interdisciplinary approaches: product design, mechanical processing, metallurgy, economics, ecology, social sciences

Theme 3:

Energy, Water and BiodiversityGoal

▪ ICT manufacture and EoL process to realize zero net energy and water use while taking steps to maximize biodiversity

Objective

▪ Maximize the benefits of ICT applications

▪ Decrease manufacturing and supply chain energy use, with the goal of zero net energy and CO2 from manufacturing

▪ Decrease net water use

▪ Increase biodiversity

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Theme 3:

Energy, Water and Biodiversity Research Question

1. Develop method for assessing lifecycle costs and environmental impacts electronics manufacturing and EOL processes▪ Simplified product and process LCA for key product segment▪ Environment, health and safety protection throughout product lifecycle of REE▪ Materials lifecycle optimization and what has highest risk?▪ Demonstration case studies to model efficient water and energy use and

simple cost-efficient measures

2. Energy use for unit of production not known▪ Energy STAR performance indicator takes 2-3 years to develop• Need to measure energy use over time

3. Develop alternative assessment tools▪ Proactive and timely evaluation of ESH impact of new materials ▪ How do can we integrate alternatives assessment into electronic process and

product design tools.

4. Maximize use of renewable energy

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Theme 4 : Enriching Communities

GoalCommunities benefit proportionally from extraction, production and EoL

activities and are able to exercise self-determination in the development.

Needed▪ Better mining practices - Responsible Mining with existing standards

▪ EPEAT optional points for offering redemption value for ICT

▪ Expand U.S. conflict mineral disclosure to more regions

Regulation

▪ Local government issue EoL policies to reduce “shopping” for perks

Barriers▪ OEMs are high in the supply chain – costs are externalized

▪ Ignorance and apathy from consumers, avarice

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Theme 5: Safe and Fair Working Conditions

GoalICT is manufactured in facilities with best-in-class health, safety and environmental standards globally with living wages, no forced labor, no child labor, no discrimination and where workers have freedom of assembly.

ObjectivesResearch• Identify best-in-class health, safety and environmental standards,

• Recommended or Permissible exposure limits (RELs) or (PEL)

Standards needed• Global standards based on the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals

Management (SAICM) recommendation

▪ Adopt ILO labor standards

▪ Regulation needed to implement global standards

▪ Cooperation between expertise – OSHA, NIOSH, WHO

▪ “Standards” for backyard processes

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25

Health Hazard Evaluations at e-Waste Recycling FacilitiesEPA/NIOSH Collaboration Study, Company A

• E-steward and R2 certified facility

• ~ 80 employees• Processes

– Recycled computers, monitors, TVs, CRTs, printers, batteries, bulbs

– Manually sorted, disassembled, and baled equipment

– Manually dismantled and buffed CRTs

– Mechanically shredded components other than CRTs

– Crushed CRTs individually using automated cutting machine (angel/devil)

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❑ Engineering controlsLocal exhaust ventilation during CRT crushing: Air re-circulated back into production area through pre- (non-HEPA) filters

❑ Administrative controlsNo showers but medical surveillance▪ Blood lead (BLL) and zinc protoporphyrin

levels on CRT breakers and maintenance personnel

▪ BLLs ranged from 8.5 micrograms per deciliter of blood (µg/dL) to 21µg/dL in 2011

▪ Medically cleared and fit tested forrespirators

❑ Personal protective equipment▪ Required for CRT breakers and maintenance▪ Half-mask air purifying respirators with P100

cartridges▪ CRT breakers wore uniforms laundered by

contractor▪ Optional but not used Hearing protection

(plugs)

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❶

❶

❹

❶

❶

❶

❶

❶

❶

❶

❶

❶ ❶

❶

❶

❶

❸

❸❸

❸

❸

❸ ❷

❷

❷

❷

N

N Number of selected facilities per state

Number of completed facilities per state

California:

first state

to legislate

e-waste.

NIOSH telephone survey of e-waste recyclers

EPA sponsored NIOSH Study e-Waste recycling facilities studies

Company A

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Angel Machine

29

Shredder Taking yokes out of CRTs

Theme 6: Business Model

GoalDecision throughout the supply chain are aligned with sustainable objective

Issues1. Quarterly earning matrix

How could investments in the electronics industry support requiring companies to report on their long-term strategy and how it makes the business more sustainable.

2. Asses business models for optimization of product lifecycleHow do we incentivize companies to design and build products to be long lasting and upgradeable, easy to repair, and easy to refurbish for a significant reuse phase?

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Theme 6: Sustainable Business Model

3. Determine ways for cost internalization– Develop methods to asses the true costs for each phase of electronics in their

lifecycle.

– Identify categories of externalized costs in each phase of the lifecycle?

– Develop appropriate methodology for itemizing costs in each category.

4. Lack of standards applicable per industry sector that can help companies establish best practices

5. Product longevity and ease of repair and upgrade▪ What is the current rate of product turnover category?

▪ Would we pay more for the “Volvo” of laptops?

▪ Upgrade Vs. replacement – comparison between business and consumer

▪ How can a truly modular design enable upgrading?

Sustainable Electronics Research Topics EPA/ORD

1. Life Cycle Assessment and Alternative Assessment Tools

▪Research to identifying potential environmental trade-offs for reuse and recycle of materials in electronics including rare earth elements and plastics (CSS Research and SBIR grants)▪Develop comprehensive methodology to evaluate the total impact of changes

in products, materials, services ▪Developing a proactive and timely tool for evaluation of ESH impact of new

materials

▪Research to identifying potential environmental trade-offs for reuse and recycle of materials in electronics including rare earth elements and plastics

2. Sustainable Electronic Products and Processes

▪Identify hazardous substances within the life cycle of electronic products.

▪Information on fate, transformation and transport of chemicals used in electronic

▪Create Innovation Challenges: ORD & OSWER challenged industry to develop a system for tracking electronics devices as well as their chemical contents to advance recycling and recovery of valuable products

32

Sustainable Electronics Research Topics

3. Green Chemicals and Cleaner Processes Replacement of hazardous chemicals with safer alternative

▪ Search for safer alternative substitutions for top toxic products

▪ Improve Standards and E-waste Tracking: Support EPEAT on developing new standards for environmental preferred products/ Support funding for UN (StEP) E-Waste Tracking Study

4. Develop Best Practice for Protecting Workers and Communities

EPA/NIOSH/OSHA will study to develop a best practice health scorecard/auditing tool that can be used to evaluate current performance worldwide for both manufacturing and recycling

33

SR

SE

SC

SI

Sale

Commercial (COM)

Residential (RES)

Institution (INS)

Education(EDU)

End of 1st Use

tR

tE

tI

tc

First use

RES

INS

COM

EDU

tR

tE

tc

Reuse

End of Reuse

Collection

Recycle

Valorization

Processor

Disposal

tI

Sale Use De-manufacturing Recovery

0

0.02

0.04

0 200 400

X1 %

X2 %

X3 %

E-waste Stock – Flow – EoL Supply Chain Model

Weibull distributions to product lifetimes

e-waste (t) = σ𝑖=0𝑡≤𝑇 𝑆𝑎𝑙𝑒𝑠𝑡 ∙ 1 − 𝑒

𝑇−𝑡

𝛽

𝛼

− 1 − 𝑒𝑇−𝑡 −1

𝛽

𝛼

Where: t = Year when the product was soldT = Year when e-waste was generatedSalest = Industry sales for year tβ = Weibull distribution scaling factor

α = Weibull distribution shape factor.

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

0 10 20 30Per

cen

t R

ead

y fo

r EO

L M

anag

emen

t

Year

Residential Product Life time

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

45%

50%

0 10 20 30

Per

cen

t R

ead

y fo

r EO

L M

anag

emen

t

Year

Non-Residential Product Life time

PC CRT

Cell phone

Sources: Baldé et al., 2014; U.S. EPA, 2011, and Authors calculations

portable

PC flat panel

Peripherals

Cell phone

PC flat panel

portable

Lifetime depends on the type of product and economic

sector

PC CRT

Desk top

Color projection

E-Waste Tracking Tool for US – Interface Page

Selection• All states or • A single state

Waste by market

Waste generated by product type

Composition of Waste generated

Material breakdown of E-waste

0

2000

4000

6000

8000

10000

12000

14000

16000

19

80

19

82

19

84

19

86

19

88

19

90

19

92

19

94

19

96

19

98

20

00

20

02

20

04

20

06

20

08

20

10

20

12

20

14

20

16

20

18

20

20

20

22

20

24

20

26

20

28

20

30

20

32

20

34

20

36

20

38

20

40

Me

tric

To

ns

Years

Material Breakdown for Landfillfor Products Sold Through 2025

Plastics

PCB Material

Other Metals

Other

Flat Panel Display Module LED

Flat Panel Display Module CCFL

Ferrous Metal

CRT Lead

CRT Glass

Copper

Battery

Aluminum

CRT-glass

Plastics

6/19/2019 38

Washington State

year

2008 2010 2012 2014 2016

Use

d E

lectr

onic

s, m

etr

ic to

n

0

5000

10000

15000

20000

25000

Co

llectio

n e

ffic

iency

0.86

0.88

0.90

0.92

0.94

0.96

0.98

1.00

1.02

1.04Model Estimate

State collection

Washington state E-waste collection state data Vs model prediction

State Law banned most electronics from state landfills and incinerators.

Electronics must be reused or recycled, or managed as hazardous waste

under federal and state hazardous waste laws.

Summary of Health Hazard Evaluation Company A

• Dry sweeping

• Lack of a hearing conservation program

• High lead and cadmium air exposures in employees without required respirator

• Blood lead levels up to 13 mg/dL

• High potential to transport contamination from production to non-production areas and possibly outside of work

– Surface contamination

– Skin contamination

– Uniforms provided only to glass breakers

– No showers

– No separation of clean and dirty change areas

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Theme 4 : Enriching Communities

GoalCommunities benefit proportionally from extraction, production and EoL

activities and are able to exercise self-determination in the development.

Needed▪ Better mining practices - Responsible Mining with existing standards

▪ EPEAT optional points for offering redemption value for ICT

▪ Expand U.S. conflict mineral disclosure to more regions

Regulation

▪ Local government issue EoL policies to reduce “shopping” for perks

Barriers▪ OEMs are high in the supply chain – costs are externalized

▪ Ignorance and apathy from consumers, avarice

40

GoalICT is manufactured in facilities with best-in-class health, safety and environmental standards globally with living wages, no forced labor, no child labor, no discrimination and where workers have freedom of assembly.

ObjectivesResearch• Identify best-in-class health, safety and environmental standards,

• Recommended or Permissible exposure limits (RELs) or (PEL)

Standards needed• Global standards based on the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals

Management (SAICM) recommendation

▪ Adopt ILO labor standards

▪ Regulation needed to implement global standards

▪ Cooperation between expertise – OSHA, NIOSH, WHO

▪ “Standards” for backyard processes41

Theme 5: Safe and Fair Working Conditions

Theme 6: Business Model Goal

Decision throughout the supply chain are aligned with sustainable objective

Issues1. Quarterly earning matrix

How could investments in the electronics industry support requiring companies to report on their long-term strategy and how it makes the business more sustainable.

2. Asses business models for optimization of product lifecycleHow do we incentivize companies to design and build products to be long lasting and upgradeable, easy to repair, and easy to refurbish for a significant reuse phase?

42

3. Determine ways for cost internalization– Develop methods to asses the true costs for each phase of electronics in their

lifecycle.

– Identify categories of externalized costs in each phase of the lifecycle?

– Develop appropriate methodology for itemizing costs in each category.

4. Lack of standards applicable per industry sector that can help companies establish best practices

5. Product longevity and ease of repair and upgrade▪ What is the current rate of product turnover category?

▪ Would we pay more for the “Volvo” of laptops?

▪ Upgrade Vs. replacement – comparison between business and consumer

▪ How can a truly modular design enable upgrading?

Theme 6: Sustainable Business Model

Waste Pyramid

44

b

c

d

e

f

aPrevention

Minimalization

Reuse

Recycling

Disposal

Energy recovery

We need to invert this pyramid and make waste reduction – the most popular option

Summary – what needs to be done?

1. Holistic impact studies of electronics industry: Develop comprehensive methodology to evaluate the total impact of changes in products, materials, services.

2. Recycling: Collect more, better and ensure smart recycling❖ Holistic optimization of recycling chain, focus on interface management &

product design❖ Prevent dubious / illegal recycling❖ Suitable economic incentives and legislative support for recycling critical metals❖ Pre-shredder technology to remove magnets, circuit boards, batteries

3. Materials and their Replacements and Eco-Design for❖ disassembly & recycling ❖ Detection and automated sorting with added information❖ Safer substitutes – cross industry collaboration efforts

4. Transparency and data for product sale, EoL chemical content❖ Composition, stocks & flows of secondary raw materials

5. New business model to close the loop (leasing, deposit systems…)❖ Consumer behavior, psychological recycling triggers

45

Sustainable Electronics Research Topics EPA/ORD

1. Life Cycle Assessment and Alternative Assessment Tools

▪Research to identifying potential environmental trade-offs for reuse and recycle of materials in electronics including rare earth elements and plastics (CSS Research and SBIR grants)▪Develop comprehensive methodology to evaluate the total impact of changes

in products, materials, services ▪Developing a proactive and timely tool for evaluation of ESH impact of new

materials

▪Research to identifying potential environmental trade-offs for reuse and recycle of materials in electronics including rare earth elements and plastics

2. Sustainable Electronic Products and Processes

▪Identify hazardous substances within the life cycle of electronic products.

▪Information on fate, transformation and transport of chemicals used in electronic

▪Create Innovation Challenges: ORD & OSWER challenged industry to develop a system for tracking electronics devices as well as their chemical contents to advance recycling and recovery of valuable products

46

Sustainable Electronics Research Topics

3. Green Chemicals and Cleaner Processes Replacement of hazardous chemicals with safer alternative

▪ Search for safer alternative substitutions for top toxic products

▪ Improve Standards and E-waste Tracking: Support EPEAT on developing new standards for environmental preferred products/ Support funding for UN (StEP) E-Waste Tracking Study

4. Develop Best Practice for Protecting Workers and Communities

EPA/NIOSH/OSHA will study to develop a best practice health scorecard/auditing tool that can be used to evaluate current performance worldwide for both manufacturing and recycling

47

Thank you !48

The Sustainable Electronics Forum

- Identified set of needs and the technologies required to satisfy those needs;

- it provides a mechanism to help forecast technology developments and it provides a framework to help plan and coordinate technology developments.

- iNEMI has incorporated many components in plans

- Final report will be at web sites